CONTAINED. A Google map shows the contained area in Sitio Macanhan, Barangay Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City, where three active cases of Covid-19 are recorded by the Department of Health. The area was already declared contained by the city government after the first lockdown on May 16, but because of the new case, the quarantine will have to be extended until June 19, 2020. (Image courtesy Google Map/Cagayan de Oro City government)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- A 59-year-old woman was the recent addition to the number of active Covid-19 cases in this city, the first recorded on the first day the city transitioned to Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) on Monday.
Dr. Lorraine Nery, head of the City Health Office (CHO), said the patient was a neighbor of another Covid-19 patient, a 62-year-old woman who died on May 15.
Both of the patients' houses were located in Zone 9, Phase 1, Sitio Macanhan of Barangay Carmen, this city. The said area was already contained by the city government since May 16 and supposed to be lifted on June 5 but will be extended until June 19 because of the new case.
The new patient is the fifth active case in the city and the 14th in the total tally since March.
"The 14th case is already in the contained area. This patient was detected because of our active surveillance on ARI/ILI (Acute Respiratory Illness/Influenza-like Illness). We extracted the family (members) last Saturday (May 30) for swab sampling and rapid diagnostic, of the five of them (including the patient), one result was inconclusive, and one tested positive (the new patient)," Nery said.
The patient and some family members showed symptoms of Covid-19, the CHO official said.
The patient was already recuperating inside one of the city's patient care centers, including her family members.
Mayor Oscar Moreno said that he will recommend to the City Council to come up with an ordinance that will institutionalize forced containment in areas where Covid-19 is detected for close monitoring.
Aside from the 59-year-old patient, other active cases in the city include the husband and daughter of the deceased 62-year-old Covid-19 patient, while the other two were returning residents who arrived in the city via ship originating from the Cebu City port.
Nery said that since March, a total of 134,000 households were visited as part of CHO's active surveillance and monitoring. She said that areas would be visited by health workers repeatedly, especially if there are recurring cases of Covid-19, or even suspected or probable patients who show symptoms.
Meanwhile, Moreno said that despite the beginning of MGCQ, the observance of curfew and liquor ban remains in effect.
Not all business establishments will be allowed to open pending assessments whether a particular establishment runs the risks of spreading the infection.
"Technically, everybody is now free to leave their houses, but as I said in the letter to IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force), the city government will exercise its power and duty restrictive measures in order to protect and observe public health," the mayor said.
He warned that the relaxation of quarantine protocols may trigger a surge in active cases, "and it's hard for the city government to sacrifice public health in exchange for opening up the economy". (PNA)
